A New Beginning
by Raymond E King
Summary: S5, Ep1 First attempt at a Fan Fic. *UPDATED* Chapter 7 added. Beckett & Ryan investigate a double homicide, Castle and Esposito work together to gather information on Cole Maddox and whoever wants Beckett dead.
1. Chapter 1

NOTE: I do not own anything, anyone.

* * *

**Chapter 1 The Day After**

* * *

1.1

Richard Alexander Rodgers was dreaming.

He had done enough research to understand what was happening in this dream. And as usual, he absorbed as much detail as he could in case the dream lead to something more, perhaps another best seller.

He was running from something. He wasn't sure whether it was from someone or an angry mob.

But he was scared and exhilarated at the same time because he realized he was no longer running away, rather towards something, someone he wanted.

His journey ended at a familiar setting. There were two swings and one was occupied. And even with their back turned, Richard knew who it was. She always did turn up in his dreams but he remembered he was angry with her and now she was waiting for him.

It was quiet, so quiet. Richard wasn't sure what to do. He had reached his destination and he was paralysed with indecision.

The figure on the swing turned around and Richard Edgar Castle caught his breath.

"Hi Rick"

Castle knew that if Beckett ever used his first name, it was serious.

Her eyes, always so expressive had a hint of humour but mostly sadness.

"Hi Kate, I see you're at our special place"

"It's not special Rick, it's just a place we're familiar with, the place where we talked and listened

and told each other how we felt"

"We don't do that enough do we?"

It started to rain heavily

Castle again felt his heart quicken and Beckett looked even more beauitful, more vulnerable than ever.

"I'm so sorry Castle"

"Sorry for what?"

"For everything, you were there for me and I just dismissed you, I know I hurt you and I hope

you'll forgive me"

Suddenly a helter skelter of images flew around him and Beckett. A hopeful date they were going to have, his dramatic severing of their partnership and their friendship and their understanding of each other. And the final act of Beckett knocking on his door, soaking wet, a hopeful and accepting look on her face.

LAST NIGHT?

Castle was fighting hard to remember and then Kate Beckett smiled. THE smile that he had come to love and work hard to see everytime he saw her. And then she was gone. He struggled against the dream, then fear took over. He knew something happened last night, but was it real? Castle was afraid, most dreams turned to fear but as with all things, Castle had to find out what happened.

What did wake Castle was the smell of bacon and eggs. With remnants of the dream disappearing and the fear evaporating, Castle slowly opened his eyes and was aware he was on one side of his King size bed, instead of occupying the whole bed as he had been for a long time.

With a sense of anticipation, mixed with joy and still with some fear (Was it a dream? Maybe it's Alexis cooking breakfast?) Castle slowly got out of bed and opened his bedroom door.

And then his world changed for the better.

* * *

Beckett was wearing a shirt of his, the thing nearly went down to her knees. She had the sexy bed head he had always pictured Nikki Heat would have and by all that was commonly holy, she was cooking bacon and eggs.

He watched her for few more seconds, the "I'm thinking and I'm impatient" furrowed brow she always had when she was deep in thought was prominent. That expression always made him smile. He did not know how a woman could look so sexy wearing a shirt too big for them, with tousled hair and concentrating on cooking bacon and eggs.

Castle was lost in thought for a moment, thinking of everything that had happened in the last 4 years.

A chance meeting because of a murder, their combative partnership in pursuit of villains and the shadow of Beckett's mother's murder. A shadow that nearly destroyed everything they had built up and nearly killed Beckett. With all the fun, there had been danger and near death experiences.

Castle was hoping the next chapter in their lives would be bit less dark and more fun.

* * *

Castle was right, Beckett was deep in thought.

It was sinking in. She was no longer a Cop. Ever since her mother's murder she had wanted justice for her death. If people asked her about relationships, she would argue she couldn't maintain serious relationships because solving her mother's murder had always been the most important thing in her life.

Then something changed that, or rather someone changed her unwavering pursuit of that cause.

A smattering of lyrics came to her from a song she had heard earlier in the week

_"I like to keep some things to myself/I've been a fool and I've been blind/I can never leave the past behind"_

Those words encapsulated what her life was about since her mother's murder. Her death had destroyed her hopes and dreams and when justice eluded those responsible for her murder, the search for justice was the driving force in her life. The will to wake up and face another day, to catch murderers, she could face that world because the bastards who had her mother killed were still out there.

But things change. Whether you try and change things or it finds you by fate.

Sometimes she was guilty of forgetting there were people in her life that loved her and cared about her. One was her Father and the other was Richard Castle.

Her cop instinct (now ex cop she thought) told her someone was watching her. She looked up and saw the man that had always been there for her for the last four years.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 Beckett's news/Phone calls**

* * *

2.1

Castle thought of a line that every author feels when looking at a blank page.

_It is hard to begin. _

Because today was a blank page, no words had been uttered about what had happened last night, they had come together after an emotional couple of days, YEARS in fact and it was time to have the conversation about what comes next.

However an insidious voice whispered to Castle that maybe it had just been all a dream. Castle's response – Let's go see.

Becket was smiling, which was a good sign, her eyes of course said much more. She was happy and that was what Castle had always wanted for her. A small part of him wanted to take credit for this, but he quickly pushed it away.

"Good Morning Castle, thought the smell of bacon and eggs would wake you up, coffee is brewing too"  
"Why Detective Beckett, you only know me too well, I hope you slept well"

Castle noticed a stiffening of Beckett's posture but let it go. They needed to talk but right now he wanted Beckett to concentrate on getting breakfast ready.

With both plates filled to the max, Castle shovelled one mouthful of eggs when Beckett said in a small voice

"I'm not a Detective anymore, I quit the 12th"

Castle slowly chewed, thinking over the statement, Beckett watched him. It was strange for her to be apprehensive about what other people thought when she made a decision about her life. Nothing like a near death experience to have your priorities change she thought wryly.

"This happened last night? Before you...came over?" Castle tried to keep his voice as calm as possible. But inside he was roaring with emotion. The woman he loved had decided it was time to move forward. Basically she had decided to embrace the future they could have and leave the past behind.

"As long as you're happy Kate, that's all that matters to me. Maybe it's a good time for you to take a break from running after bad guys. "

Beckett's smile was all the answer he needed. He knew she would get bored sooner or later and there was still the spectre of the man who shot her still on the loose. However a smiling and happy Katherine Beckett was enough for now.

"Well I'm going to go clean up, don't eat all the food Castle" Beckett said, as she wandered over to the bathroom.

* * *

Castle was still musing the recent turn of events, when he heard the front door opening. Eyes wide with panic, he remembered Alexis was due back today. He quickly made his way to the door. She looked a little worst for wear after her graduation night. He thought back to his own highschool graduation night and... that was a story he would never tell Alexis.

"Alexis!"

She winced when she heard him and Castle was glad. She had always been the strong one, the no nonsense young woman who always walked the sensible path and to see her hair uncombed and bleary eyed, Castle could see Alexis could be responsible enough to have fun, and come home alive.

"Hi Dad, can you just turn the volume down a bit? Had a bit of a late night"

"Of course honey, we-I'm just having breakfast if your stomach is up for it"

* * *

Beckett heard Castle talking to someone, Alexis probably. She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She saw a pretty woman, with world weary eyes. A strong willed stubborn woman, who sometimes was unable to express how she felt. She was more of an action speak louder than words kind of person.

And now she had to make a decision. She wanted Richard Castle in her life, permanently and that meant being part of his family. She smiled at the word.

_Family_

Her family sadly only numbered her Father. Alexis needed to know that there would now be another woman in her Dad's life.

Beckett brushed her hair and tried to look respectable and was hoping her clothes weren't too damp

* * *

"No it's alright dad, I'm just tired, I feel like going to sleep for 10 hours, I was going to crash at a friends house, but I thought I'd better get home"

"I'll talk to you later okay?"

And with that a bleary eyed Alexis shuffled over to her bedroom and closed the door. She didn't even see a smiling Beckett

* * *

"Big night?"

"Yeah, but she got home alive and that all that matters. Just like you're alive and I'm with you" with that statement he gave Beckett a lingering kiss.

"I was going to say hi to Alexis, I think she needs to know that her Dad is seeing someone"

"All in good time Beckett, but for now why don't you have some breakfast, I have to give Martha a call or I'll never hear the end of it"

He gave Beckett another quick kiss and started dialling.

Castle dialling reminded her to check her phone and saw there were missed calls namely from Lainie and to her surprise from the precinct, 5 to be exact.

Paperwork she thought, where would the world be if there were no paperwork to go through before starting or ending something.

But for now, what was most important was to call her best friend and tell her what was going on.

* * *

"Hello Martha, how's life in the Hamptons? Yes, everything's fine, Alexis came home, a little less for wear but still beautiful as ever. She didn't even look excited about packing for college yet. Oh won't be doing much today, maybe some writing, help Alexis pack. I'll see you tonight okay?"

Castle hung up with a smile, he wondered what Martha would say when she found out about this new turn of events.

* * *

"...no Lainie I have not lost my mind, I just made a decision, THE decision to leave, I know I know, we'll talk okay? Where am I? I'm...how could you possibly know that! Look I think it's better if we see each other okay. I need to see my best friend, I promise, today 12pm okay...at the Old Haunt? I'll see you then"

Beckett shook her head in amazement, Lainie had gone to Beckett's place after her repeated calls went to voicemail. And just like that Lanie immediately asked if she was at Castle's. Perhaps Lainie was in the wrong field. She could sniff out a clue about Beckett's personal love life life just by listening to her over the phone.

She listened to other messages, a couple from Ryan but what surprised her the most was the message left by Gates.

"Detective Beckett, we need to talk...in person. Please come see me, there are still procedures in place when a Detective decides to leave the 12th precinct"

Again Beckett shook her head and laughed. Yes, paperwork, how she would miss that part of the job.

* * *

**A/N Very tough chapter to write, probably could have sped it up a bit, but there were several sliding door plot lines to look at. How would Castle react to Beckett quitting? Do they keep their relationship a secret from Castle's family? Is Beckett strong and secure enough to be under scrutiny by Castle's daughter as perhaps a future Step Mother? I have been advised the chapters have been too short, so I hope this is longer. Still getting used to the publishing tools : ) See you in the next chapter. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 An Understanding/A Message**

* * *

3.1

They ate breakfast in silence.

Smiles were exchanged and the usual shared glances that spoke of much more.

Castle cleared the table and while at the kitchen sink, he could feel Beckett's stare burning into his back. He turned around and Beckett was sitting at the dining table, waiting for him to join her. He gave her a smile and approached. And once more they sat opposite each other like they had done a few years ago. The time to talk was now.

* * *

From past experiences, whenever there was an opportunity to discuss their relationship or how they felt, they would always be interrupted in one way or another. Now, it was just the two of them. Most of the time nervous couples would talk at the same time, in the case of Castle and Beckett, there was no awkwardness, just acceptance. As she always did, Beckett took the lead.

"I never told you this, but I once waited for over an hour to get your autograph"

Castle's eyes widened and he uttered a short laugh

"Is that right?"

"Your books helped me to get through my mother's murder and now you've helped me put her murder behind me. I once told a victim's daughter that it would be very hard for her to get over the death of her mother but that one day she would wake up and she would be able to live with the weight of her death. That's how I've dealt with it Castle. Everyday, I would wake up, knowing she was gone, and those responsible for her death were still free. That was my life, I didn't have anything else to look forward to, until I met you."

All through this, Castle smiled encouragement. For the amount of time they had spent together, he didn't really know much about her. Then he realized, she had decided to let him "in". The emotional reliance to have someone listen and for that someone to understand her hopes and fears required her trust. As he had implored her, she had now accepted him as being more than a partner.

Beckett retold Castle what happened yesterday. Her voice started to break when she described the harrowing moment of dangling from the edge of the roof. What made it worst was Castle's expression. She broke eye contact and looked down at her hands.

"I'm not sure if I saw my life flash before my eyes, but one thing I did know, I didn't want to die and that all I could think of was I wouldn't be able to see you again"

With a wry smile she said "For a minute there I actually thought you were calling me, telling me to hang on. It was Ryan and Gates was with him, Ryan pulled me off the ledge".

Beckett raised her head and once more looked at Castle. His blue eyes were wide with concern, but mostly relief, he had already been holding her hands and gave them a comforting squeeze, prompting her to go on.

"You've seen Gates mad right? Well this was ten times worse. She dumped both Espo and I onto desk duty. And then I realized, the only reason I wanted to be a cop was it gave me a slim chance of being able to find the people who murdered my mother. Everything I've done has been because of her murder. Once a week I would go to her grave and ask her if she was proud of what I had made of myself and that I would never stop until I found the people who killed her."

"When Gates ordered me to hand over my badge, I decided that if the only reason I became a cop was because of my mother's murder, then I was doing the job for the wrong reasons. I realized there's more to life than obsessively pursuing something from the past. I decided I wanted more, that I wanted to be with you" she said the last with a wan smile.

"I know I hurt you, dismissed you and I hope you forgive me. I know I have a chance to have a future with someone and a chance to be happy" Beckett said the last ernestly, eyes shining with emotion.

Castle gave her hands another squeeze and gave a deep sigh.

"I maybe a wordsmith, but I believe what we - *I* did last night showed that I gladly accepted your apology."

Beckett blushed.

"I've made the decision to move on with my life, I'm heading down to the precinct, Gates wants to see me, probably to fill in paperwork as part of my resignation and then meet Lainie for lunch at the Old Haunt, you're coming with me right?" the last sounded innocent, but to Castle she sounded anxious about his response.

"Are you kidding! After what's happened the last couple of days, I'm not letting you out of my sight! Although I have a counter proposal, actually more of a different thought process with the whole paperwork business".

Beckett gave him a questioning look "And what would that be?"

* * *

3.2

Castle was silent for a moment, weighing up what he was going to say. He simply adored the woman sitting opposite him and he would do anything to make her happy and protect her, even from herself. He had thought Beckett should take a break from catching bad guys. However, he also knew he did not want to be the person responsible for stopping Beckett from doing what she did best.

Finally Castle looked into Beckett's eyes.

"You said you didn't want to be a cop anymore because you wanted to let go of the past and you thought you were doing the job for the wrong reasons. This may sound selfish, but you also said you didn't want to be a cop anymore because you wanted to be with me. You may not realize it, but you have always helped people move forward from their own tragedies. You know how hard it is to get over someone you loved being taken away, you help bring closure to families who have suffered. You were doing something great, something your mother would have been proud of. If you are really going to move forward with your life, then you need to be strong enough to move forward from your own tragedy while also helping people to move forward with their own heartbreak.

I know enough about you to know you have always wanted to help people. It's ingrained but you never want anyone to help you. Never had anyone to talk to, but I'm here now, I'm with you and I'm glad. And I'll be there to help YOU.

"What are you saying Castle?"

"You're too good of a cop to just walk away from the job".

Castle put his hand up as Beckett was about to object.

"You said Gates wanted to see you? Why would the Captain want to see someone who just quit her precinct. You just need to fill in paperwork and you'll be out of her bullpen. "

Beckett bit her lip thoughtfully.

"Maybe she wants details for her investigation on Montgomery and what happened the last few days?"

"How about this, you go to the Precinct, once you find out what she wants, you can then meet me at The Old Haunt with Lainie and tell us all about it. I'm sure Gates would arrest me if she ever saw me in the precinct.

"I'm not going to beg her for my job back Castle. Before all I had was the job but now...and besides I can always take the bar exam.

"I know I know" Castle raised his hands in supplication "just find out what she wants, she may even reject your resignation"

Beckett eyed Castle suspiciously

"You're not going to call your pal the Mayor for a favour are you"

Castle shook his head, it was going to be tough to surprise her on special occassions, she may not want to be a cop anymore, but she'll never lose

the instinct.

_Special Occassions, future special occassions. _

He liked the sound of that._  
_

"Scout's honour" replied Castle with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Beckett gave him another glare

"Just go see Gates, like she asked you to. I'll try and run some interference on your behalf on Lainie, so she doesn't bombard you with questions"

Beckett gave up "Fine, but I'm going home first seeing as someone was on my mind last night, I didn't get a chance to get home and change.

"Why were they soaking wet in the first place?"

"Let's just say I did some thinking in the rain"

Castle smiled. He had written a scene like that in his novels many times.

As they stood up, Castle pulled her close and kissed her hard.

He pulled back and saw the surprised expression on her face.

"I'm glad I was on your mind last night"

He gave her another quick kiss on top of her head

"I'll see you later, Old Haunt okay?"

Without another word, he went into his bedroom, leaving a stunned Beckett, still recovering from the kiss with a sly smile.

* * *

3.3

Castle heard Beckett shutting the front door.

And as per usual, his mind began its trick of cataloguing everything that had happened so far, looking for things that could have been missed,  
surprise twists and turns and surprise characters.

These thoughts zeroed in on one thing or person to be exact. The voice at the other end of the phone, the dark figure in the parking garage.

Castle needed to talk to him.

There was still the matter of a conspiracy to kill anyone connected to Johanna Beckett.

They had talked but about the future. They had not talked about the fact that Beckett now knew the man who had tried to kill her and that when  
these "Shadowmen" as Castle liked to call them found out that Beckett was still alive, they would be gunning for her.

Castle _needed _to get in contact with Mr. Deep Throat. Now if only there was a numb- then he remembered he did have a number. He quickly grabbed his phone and called the number.

The phone seemed to ring for ages before going to voice mail.

"Mr. Castle, if you are hearing this message, I'm probably dead..."

Castle stopped breathing, while the message continued

"..so I would direct you to Sterling National Bank at Park Avenue, safety deposit box 187, documents located in there may just may save your Detective Beckett's life"

Castle hurriedly wrote the details down and the message ended.

Documents? Mr Deep Throat dead? Then his skin turned cold, save Beckett's life? Dressing quickly, he started searching for the bank's location on his phone.

* * *

**A/N It's weird how some things just find their way into the storyline. It was hard to find a way for Castle to try and convince Beckett to stay a cop. This was the best I could do, maybe it's too soft an approach, I'm sure you'll let me know. Castle always has a murder as part of the episode storyline. I actually have a murder for this story but with the supposed "death" of Mr. Deep Throat, that could be one more body, although that body may never be found. Next Chapter should hopefully be done by tomorrow morning. Hopefully reviews won't be as "constructive" as 'Una Marconi's' review of Martha Rodger's performance in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ; )**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 The 12th Precinct/The Old Haun**t/**The Bank**

* * *

4.1

A groan went through the small crowd.

The TV at the bar was switched on to an NBA game - Knicks vs Lakers and a Jeremy Lin turnover resulted in a wide open three to the Lakers.

It was nearly midday and the Old Haunt was unusually quiet.

In a corner booth, Esposito and Lainie were huddled together in conversation. They had not touched their drinks since ordering them half an hour ago.

"...and then what happened?"

"Like I said, Gates dumped us on desk duty and Beckett quit"

"Unbelievable! Where the hell was Castle in all of this?"

"According to Beckett he was off the team"

Lainie shook her head in amazement. Impatiently she checked her watch again.

"But she was down right crazy to just take off like that with no back up and YOU! Where the hell was your head at?" She nearly lost it when she heard that Beckett had taken on the person who shot her by herself.

"Yeah, well *I* was her back up"

"And that worked out really well too didn't it?" Lainie gave Esposito an icy glare.

"Good thing Ryan decided to do the smart thing and call for back up"

"Hey, Ryan went behind my back, he broke my trust, he and I are quits!"

"Javier that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard in my life. If it wasn't for him, Beckett would be dead and probably you too! Now get your  
head out of the sand right now!"

Esposito sat silently glowering, while Lainie again checked her watch.

"Would you quit that, she'll be here, probably went home to get changed" his scowl, turning quickly to a lop sided grin at the thought of Beckett and Castle being a couple. The romantic in him just couldn't help it. When he saw Lainie glaring at him, he quickly lost the smile.

"Hey you're the one who guessed she was at Castle's place last night!"

Lainie rolled her eyes, a shout from the bar heralded a turn in the game. She couldn't help it but check the time again.

* * *

Captain Gates had a headache.

And her name was Katherine Beckett.

She rubbed her temple as she read through reports of the mess that had happened during the last few days. Despite what many thought she would, she had not contacted Internal Affairs.

Leaning back on her chair, she took off her glasses and looked at the ceiling for inspiration. Her best detective had quit, while she had effectively suspended another. She sighed, the only thing that would top off these last few days would be a homicide assigned to the 12th.

She heard a knock at the door

It was Detective Ryan. "Ah Captain, we've caught one"

An exasperated Gates looked up and shook her head.

* * *

Beckett slowly walked into the 12th, she couldn't help but notice the amount of people saying hello and smiling at her. She looked fondly at her empty desk and then saw Ryan coming out of the Captain's office. He looked deeply unhappy, his tie was crooked and he hadn't shaved. When he looked up, she gave him a smile. Ryan immediately lost the gloomy expression and walked quickly to her.

"Beckett!"

"Hi Ryan, the Captain said I needed to come in for some paperwork, how are you? "

"Yeah I'm fine but paperwork? You mean you're going through with it?"

Beckett's expression turned serious "Just having to reassess some things in my life Ryan and it turns out being a cop wasn't high on the list"

Ryan continued to look confused "But what are you going to do? Furthermore we've caught a homicide, Esposito hasn't turned up and you've quit, hell I'd ask  
Castle for help if Gates would let him".

At the mention of Castle, Beckett couldn't help but smile.

"Sorry Ryan, Castle's days on the 12th are probably over, seeing as I'm not a cop anymore"

"This sucks, he would've been great help too, they found a nun dead in an alley way"

Beckett raised an eyebrow. A nun? Castle would have been all over the case like a bad rash.

Ryan continued "By the way, have you heard from Esposito? I've been calling him, he's probably still pissed at me" he said the last as if to himself.

"No, haven't heard from Espo, I'm sorry I can't help you Ryan, I've got a meeting wtih Gates and then I'm meeting Lainie for lunch, because if I don't see her  
she told me and I quote 'I will lock you up in a freezer, not with Castle, but corpses' So I think I better go see her as soon as I'm done with Gates".

Beckett headed to Gates's office leaving Ryan looking after her with a downcast expression.

* * *

Castle entered the bank, not quite running.

He was a little out of breath, he really needed to start working out. Having caught his breath, Castle spied someone who looked like they were in charge and headed in her direction.

"Hi, you may be able to help me, I need to access a safety deposit box?"

"Sure, we just need some identification, if you can please follow me, we'll get you processed as soon as we can"

Identification? Mr. Deep Throat hadn't given him anything, there was nothing he could do but try and talk his way into getting a hold of what was in that box.

The woman lead him into a room where safety deposit boxes were lined up and there was some sort of device on the wall.

"If you kindly place your thumb on to the scanner, you'll have access to your safety deposit box.".

Castle didn't get through life by hesitating and strode confidently to the scanner, thumb raised. There was a hum and a beep and a drawer slowly slid open.

Even though Castle had other things on his mind, he couldn't help but be impressed, he could definitely use this kind of thing as a plot device. '

"Nice toy"

"But of course, this is how our safety deposit boxes work. You would be Mr. Derrick Storm."

"Yes, I mean of course I am..him"

Well I will leave you to your business, we have a strict protocol, half an hour by yourself and then I'll come back to advise that you have 10 minutes left. See you in 20 minutes Mr. Storm" And with that, she turned and left him alone.

Castle had a bemused expression on his face at her officious customer service, but quickly turned serious as he went to investigate what was in safety deposit box number 187.

* * *

4.2

Beckett hesitated, before finally knocking on her former Captain's door.

A stern voice answered "Come in" Beckett thought she would certainly not miss answering to that tone.

With a deep breath, Beckett opened the door.

"Hello Captain, you wanted to see me?"

Gates looked up, her expression narrowing as Beckett came into her office. Her desk normally spotless and well ordered had files and reports scattered all over it. Gates noticed Beckett observing the state of her desk.

"You see this, Detective Beckett? This is what you have left me to go through after you decided you were bigger than the 12th precinct"

Beckett took the rebuke silently and sat down. She wanted to get this over and done with and meet with Lainie and of course Castle. Already she was missing him. Damn that man, I'm already missing him and it's only been an hour since I left his apartment. She shook off the sudden meloncholy and met her former Captain's stern gaze.

"You said there were procedures that I had to go through until I finish up? Any paperwork I need to sign now, I will, anything else, you can send to me" she replied with just enough steel to know she was not intimidated. "And can you also stop calling me Detective".

Gates sat back, a heavy sigh escaping from her. And to Beckett's surprise, Gates's expression softened.

"I've read the files Beckett, I understand what happened. Your mother's murder, a conspiracy that involves god knows who and the man who shot you decides a better way to kill you is to let you fall off the roof of a building.

"What I don't understand is the fact that you decided I wouldn't be able to help. You are one of my people, and when my people are threatened, I take it personally. As I told you before, being in IA painted me as a cop who hates cops. But that's wrong. I despise DIRTY cops and the people they work for. And you know as well as I do, having someone investigate their own case can only lead to untenable situations. Proof of that happened the other day".

"Sir I don't know where you're heading with this, I just came in to sign things"

"Let me just say my piece okay?"

Beckett shrugged and motioned for Gates to go on.

"From the brief time I've had you as part of my command and your clearance rate, you are one exemplery detective. A detective I would hate to lose"

Beckett's surprise gave way to suspicion as Gates continued.

"From what I've read and seen, there are only 2 things that distracts you from being objective to the job, the unsolved murder of your mother and one Richard Castle"

"I'm sorry Sir, has the Mayor contacted you?"

With a crooked smile and a shake of the head, Gates replied "No Beckett, he hasn't but I'm sure he would have if your so called partner called him and asked him to do so. You can also stop calling me 'Sir'. Captain will do for now".

Beckett thought Gates would change her mind in a hurry if she ever found out that Montgomery played a key part in covering up her mother's murder, she pushed the thought to the side and concentrated on maintaining eye contact with Gates.

"If you remember, I put you and Detective Esposito on administrative leave until a full investigation was launched. That investigation has been completed. Your judgement was compromised from the very beginning of the case, disregarding protocol, putting yourself and Detective Esposito in danger. Under normal circumstances I would have suspended you without pay for a month. But my investigation proved these were most definately not normal circustances.

To put it simply, I reject your resignation."

Beckett's eyes widened in amazement

"I'm not sure I understand Captain..."

Gates, opened a drawer and placed Beckett's gun and badge on the desk.

"I believe these are yours. Detective Beckett, I know what it feels like to have someone taken away and not being able to find answers. You were attacked and nearly killed...twice. That's not something you get over, unless you get a lot help. And I hope you do get help Detective, more help than you've been getting because you are an excellent detective and I need you. I've put a stay on your punishment, I've decided to trust you Beckett, in turn you have to trust me. We've caught a homicide, Detective Ryan will fill you in."

Beckett was speechless but held on to the fact that she no longer had the passion for the job...or did she? She picked up her badge and stared at it as she did yesterday. She thought of Castle's words this morning

"Captain, what about the case? The person who tried to kill me is still out there"

"I have the full details from Detective Ryan, when we get a lead, I'll make sure you are notified. Don't worry Detective, that son a of bitch attacked one my of people and I will hunt him down and make him pay. You on the other hand, can concentrate on other things. Like the case the 12th precinct just caught".

* * *

Slowly Beckett placed her badge in its customary place and reached for her gun, but hesitated.

"Captain, I need to talk to someone I trust before I make a final decision"

Gates nodded "The ball is in your court Detective, I need you back and you've heard my sales pitch"

Without another word, Gates started reading another file.

Beckett stood up, still reelling from the conversation, scenarios played in her head as she closed the Captain's office. She looked around, Ryan was on the phone furiously writing details down on a notepad.

Before, she could have made personal and professional decisions without any input from anyone else. Now, that was simply not the case. There were a couple of people she needed to talk to over at The Old Haunt.

* * *

4.3

Castle hurried over to see the contents in the box. There was a single piece of paper. Castle plucked it and quickly read it. Eyes widening, he stuffed the piece of paper in his coat pocket and took off, running past the surprised bank manager.

Castle needed to talk to Beckett. Now, before it was too late, he ran out of the bank, nearly knocking over a elderly lady who squawked at him indignantly. Castle paid her no attention and reached for his mobile.

* * *

A/N: I thought I had nothing to lose by loosening up the character of Captain Gates. After all she has been written as a one dimensional character and a thought struck me, Gates could have some issues in her past too that we may not know about. I'm not sure if you thought Gates declining Beckett's resignation as a cop out, but it seemed plausible. Especially the look on Gates's face when Beckett said she resigned. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up but I hope what I've written is satisfactory enough for those who are fans of Castle. And as for what's on the piece of paper...well I'll let you know as soon as *I* know.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Deep Throat & The Sniper/Beckett at the Old Haunt/The Crime Scene**

5.1

Cole Maddox smiled at the look of fear on Smith's face.

"Now where are those files?"

"I want to speak to your boss...now"

Cole Maddox's smile was devoid of humour "He's not my boss, let's just say I'm a contracted employee and I have a money back guarantee as part of my mission statement and I don't intend to refund the fee." Casually, he motioned his gun for Mr. Smith to lead him to the files.

"You can threaten me all you want, but if you kill me, you'll never know where the files are"

"Kill you? That would be too easy! Let's just say one of my favourite past times is inflicting pain on others and I can't wait to try it on a soft grey meat like yourself. You want to play? I'll make you scream like a little girl, until you tell me where the files are, how's that for a play date? Now take me to the files! And if you so much as twitch I'll put a bullet in your calf, I haven't decided which one, but it'll come to me if the moment arrives, now move!"

Smith, ashen faced reluctantly lead Maddox to where he kept the files in a wall safe. There was no point in stalling or trying any misdirection. He had looked into Maddox's eyes and the man was a killer.

Smith entered the combination and the safe opened, he then turned to Maddox and played the last card he had.

"You do realize I've made copies of these? If I die, certain people will know and all have access to the files, now call your boss, so we can discuss this."

With a maniacal glint in his eyes, Maddox raised his gun now equipped with a silencer and shot Smith at point black range. The lifeless body of Smith made a sick thudding noise when it fell.

"We'll find them, don't worry".

He looked into the safe and found a couple of bulky folders. His job wasn't to look into these, it was a simple take and vacate mission. Although he did get a bonus for the disposing of Mr. Smith. God what a boring name! He looked down at the corpse, it was slowly being surrounded by blood.

Maddox checked the safe to see if there were anymore items of interest but it was cleaned out. His training kicked in and he began to efficiently remove anything that could tie him to the murder and that included the dead body of one Mr. Smith.

He checked for any kinds of communication on the body and found a blackberry and a mobile phone. He had checked the flooring of the safe and he had been pleasantly surprised to find it was not carpeted. Much more easier to remove all traces of blood. Maddox doubted Smith would have any sort of security cameras in his residence. Living a comfortable lifestyle always made people soft and vulnerable.

Maddox worked efficiently in stripping the body and absorbing the blood. Scanning the area, he spied the spent shell casing. He closed the wall safe, picked up the lifeless body of Smith and made his way to the bathroom. He came back for his clean kit and the machette he had left behind when he had followed Smith.

It was time to fill some garbage bags.

* * *

He was trying to set a personal record in chopping up a body. He didn't think Smith would take long, there wasn't much of him.

All through the night Maddox went about his grizzly business and soon what remained of Smith filled up two extra large garbage bags. Maddox dumped the bags at the front door and went back to the bathtub to clean up. He had done these kinds of jobs over a dozen times and he did many things without thinking.

Finally done, he did one more sweep of the area and was satisfied that if anyone came looking they would not find anyone at home. Smith would just have disappeared and become another missing person.

As always, he felt a kind of accomplishment in getting the job done. He opened the door and looked to see if there were any possible witnesses. He didn't want to have to kill any one else today. There was no bonus for other bodies. Seeing no one, he moved quickly to the garbage disposal and dumped the bags. Triple bagged and with the rest of the garbage, no one would notice the stink.

Having canvassed the area before entering, Maddox knew where the security cameras were and had worked out the blind spots. He would not appear on any of them.

With a grim smile, folders in hand, he and made his way into the night.

* * *

It was now morning and Maddox was having a coffee. He had a quick look through news services, reading up on Beckett. He was sure a photo sketch of his face would be posted soon.

He called his employer with an update and was now waiting for further instructions. He bided the time by looking through Smith's blackberry, then the mobile phone rang.

Maddox snatched it up and looked at the caller id 'Castle'. The name wasn't mentioned in the brief he received for the mission. He let it ring out. No message alert sounded. Looking through the contact list and calls, there were no other names listed except for Castle.

He took out his own mobile and rang his tech team. He gave them Castle's number and went about finding out out as much information as he could about this Castle person. He was surprised to find out Castle was involved with Kate Beckett and if Castle knew both Beckett and Smith, then Castle was part of the mission.

He sat still, thinking of a course of action while his team continued to feed him information. With a mental shrug, he decided to do what he always did when something came up on a mission, he would call those who hired him to advise him of the next step.

What bothered him was if the throwaway phone was specifically for Castle, why didn't he leave a message? The tech team, after hacking into Smith's phone, provided the answer.

Maddox checked when Castle called and asked for a GPS location of Castle. He was already at the bank, with his team advising security cameras showing Castle was on his way out of the bank and in a hurry.

Maddox thought of all feasible outcomes and thought there was only one thing he could do.

* * *

5.2

Beckett walked into the Old Haunt and spied Esposito high fiving people at the bar yelling something about Carmelo Anthony, she also noticed Lainie looking at Esposito with an irritated expression on her face. She did not have many friends and that was her fault. However to have friends like Esposito and Lainie, she felt blessed. And she was never going to take them for granted ever again.

Beckett made her way to the table Lainie was sitting at. Lainie spotted her and didn't wait for Beckett to arrive, she met Beckett half way, gave her a hug and hollered at Esposito that Beckett was here.

"Okay Kate Beckett, you are not allowed to leave this building until you answer everyone of my questions. You hear me girl?"

Laughing, Beckett and Lainie were joined by Esposito.

"Alright Lainie, but I have to say something first." she turned to Esposito with a grave expression on her face.

"I'm so sorry Espo"

"For what?"

"For dragging you into something that could have gotten you killed. It wasn't right"

"Beckett I will always have your back, no matter what - Hey!" Lainie had given him a slap on the back of the head

"If you had her back, you'd think and get some help instead of going all Rambo and nearly getting both you and Beckett killed!"

"Lainie it's okay, it was my fault, I jus- I wasn't thinking straight, all I could think about was getting answers and I nearly died" her voice was steady but Lainie could tell it took her some effort to do so.

Lainie gave Beckett a questioning look, she looked happy and content for someone who nearly died yesterday. Lainie had a pretty good idea what, or who to be exact could make Beckett look so happy after a near death experience.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well, you nearly died, you quit your job and there's some maniac loose on the streets of New York that wants you dead and you look happy. If it's the reason I think it is, I just won alot of money"

Beckett smiled, blushing bright red.

Esposito whooped "Aw geez, Beckett, you better splash some water on your face, it's redder than a tomato!"

"Shut up Espo. I'm not saying a word. Castle's going to meet us for lunch then we'll talk about...things. In fact, I thought he'd be here before me. Take some heat off the interrogation"

"No I haven't seen him, c'mon just tell me if you and Castle are together, just throw us a little bone please?"

Instead of dismissing the question, Beckett actually thought it over. The two of them hadn't even actually been on date. Sure they'd have their little get togethers at the Haunt, but nothing official. She knew from months of therapy, what she and Castle had was some kind of understanding. For her to become a better person to be able to love and bring down the walls and let people in, with Castle being the first person she would let in. All he had to do was wait until she was ready.

And she had nearly thrown all of it away because she could not give up her obsession.

Lainie looked alarmed at the sudden emotion on Beckett's face and reached for her hand.

"Kate are you okay? If you want me to back off I will, I'm just glad you're alive and that the man you're with will treat you good"

Beckett wiped off a tear and looked up and smiled at Lainie and Esposito

"Let's just say, I can't wait for our first date"

Lainie laughed, while Esposito slapped the table and gave Lainie a kiss on the cheek.

Beckett smiled but a thought intruded. Where the hell was Castle?

* * *

5.3

Detective Kevin Ryan, looked at the body in the alley way and shook his head.

Who the hell would want to kill a Nun? Although from years of experience, the victim might be dressed as a Nun, but they might not be one.

Forensics were taking photos and Ryan gave instructions for uniforms to canvass the area looking for witnesses.  
Perlmutter was at his customary place.

"So Perlmutter, what does it look like?"

"A dead Nun?"

"Get on with it Perlmutter, I'm not in the mood"

"Okay then, can't really tell a cause of death until I get the nun outfit off her. Time of Death probaby around midnight and where the hell is everyone?"

"Never mind Perlmutter, just give me a call as soon as you can with cause of death. Can we even ID this vic?"

"No wallet on her, I don't even know if Nuns carry wallets"

Ryan thought if Castle were here, he'd have told about 20 nun jokes already. He noticed the rosary the nurse had around her neck and saw an inscription.

'Our Lady of Victorian Church'

Looks like he had a lead. He called Gates to give her an update

* * *

5.4

Castle's phone rang as he was reaching for it.

The caller id: 'Deep Throat'.

Castle blinked with confusion, wasn't he dead? He clicked on accept and waited to hear from a dead man.

"Mr. Castle? I realize this is probably very confusing for you but I'm an associate of the gentleman you've been keeping in contact with concerning Detective Beckett and keeping her from a certain case?"

"That was the case, but I heard he died"

"Oh he isn't dead, just currently incapacitated, he left instructions for me to get in contact with you as he was worried he would alarm you if you couldn't reach him on this number. I believe we need to meet and discuss what was in that safety deposit box and what the best thing do in regards to the Johanna Beckett's case? After all someone wants Beckett dead and I believe you have something that may keep her alive".

Castle was silent as he thought furiously. His mind did its usual trick of writing a scene, looking at all the information starting from the murder of the thief, to the sniper getting away and Becket nearly dying. This 'assosciate' knew too much to escape scrutiny from the writer in him.

If he had written this scene, this would be the bad guy on the phone, trying to lure him out in the open, kill him and take the proof. He thought of Beckett making the decision to give up the chase, ready to let it go. He wasn't about to drag her back into this nightmare. It was time to get more information on this psychopath who had ordered the death so many people. Then anger took over, no one was going to take the woman he loved away and if he was going to be walking into a trap, he would pick the location.

"I will meet you, but I get to pick the place"

Castle gave instructions and hung up.

After the euphoria of having Kate tell him that all she wanted was him, he was not about to lose her.

He quickly headed to his destination, working on his plan, discarding scenarios, looking for weaknesses, all the while hoping the person he was meeting would underestimate him.

* * *

5.5

Maddox smiled as he heard Castle hang up.

He wasn't sure if his employer would be happy with his decision, but Castle was a loose end and with him was the only other evidence that needed to be destroyed. He could then take his time in dealing with Beckett.

Finishing his coffee, Maddox made a call and gave an update, they were very happy with his executive decision.

* * *

A/N I found the hardest thing in writing this chapter was matching up the timeline. My end game was always Castle's call being interrupted by an incoming call, but by whom? I looked at several scenarios & unfortunatley blood had to be shed for it to make sense. I hope I haven't turned anyone off with the violence, but most if it is implied. And Castle's plan? Again, I'll let you know when I know. See you in the next chapter. PS - I apologize to those who work at or are associated with a couple of New York buildings and addresses I've used, I hope they don't take offence. I plucked them from google research : )


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**The Facts of the Case/Where's Castle?/Spy Games  
**

6.1

Kevin Ryan crossed himself as he walked into 'Our Lady of Victorian Church'.

His wife had asked him if everything was okay. He had been distracted during breakfast. Ryan was tempted to tell Jenna everything but stuck to the rule they had agreed on when he was off duty. They would never discuss what current case he was working on or anything to do with the job. He didn't want to discuss murders while he was with his wife.

Neverthless, Ryan wanted, NEEDED to talk to someone. The last few days had been a nightmare, his partner felt betrayed by him and Beckett had quit. And now, he was saddled with working on a homicide by himself. He felt conflicted, people he respected and cared about were on the outer and he couldn't reach out to them because he was on the hunt for a murderer.

The visit to Perlmutter at the ME's office showed cause of death as being strangulation. There were ligature marks around the neck as well as marks on the back of her head consistent with being bashed against a flat surface, most probably against a wall in the alley she was found in. His only lead was the church the nun worshipped at.

Ryan looked around.

"Hello? Detective Kevin Ryan here, anyone home?"

A door opened to his left and nun walked purposely in his direction

"Hi, I'm Sister Heath, what can I help you with?"

Ryan, flashed his badge and took a deep breath

"I'm Detective Ryan, do you know this person?"

The Sister looked at the photo, the look of recognition and shock was all Ryan needed to see.

"That's Rachael!, on blessed Jesus! She's dead?"

"I'm so sorry for your loss"

Ryan then asked her the usual questions, when did you see her last? Does she have any family? Where would she have been at midnight this morning? Did she live near by where she was found?

Grief stricken, Sister Heath haltingly answered. The victims full name was Rachael Thompson, she had no family and had been with the church for the past 7 years. She worked closely with Father McKenzie in organising the daily running of the church's homeless shelter. She had last seen the victim around six pm last night.

"Oh my, Father McKenzie! He'll be shattered to hear the news, she lives a couple of blocks from where you...sorry I just can't..."

"I'm sorry Sister, I know this is difficult, I just need to know her address and how do I get in contact with Father McKenzie? Is he here?"

"Normally he is, I have called him a couple of times, but he hasn't got back to me" she said the last with a worried inflection in her voice.

Ryan looked her questioningly

"You get in touch with him easily?"

"Yes and now with Rachael's passing, I'm worried".

"Don't worry Sister, I'll get a hold of the good Father, do you have his details? Why do you think something has happened to Father McKenzie?"

"There were some..things that happened in the past, it's best if Father McKenzie explained to you"

"You can't or won't tell me?"

"I'm sorry, I"m not allowed to discuss it"

Ryan was starting to get a very bad feeling about all of this. He took the details and gave his number to Sister Heath in case she thought of anything else.

More in hope, he tried the number and a recorded voice asked him to leave his name and number, which Ryan dutifully provided.

"Still no answer?"

Ryan shook his head, thanked her, with his next stop being Father McKenzie's residence.

* * *

Ryan rang the doorbell and knocked on the door repeatedly. There was no answer. On a hunch he tried the door and found it unlocked.

"Hello? Father McKenzie? Anyone home?". Without even thinking, he drew his gun as he walked in.

Ryan scanned the immediate area, the living room was sparsley furnished, only a simple couch and coffee table. He made his way, peering around corners, calling out McKenzie's name.

There was no answer.

He checked doors as he made his sweep, the last door he opened, turned out to be a bedroom. The curtains were drawn, but there was no mistaking what was on the floor next to the bed.

Holstering his gun, Ryan lent over the body and felt for a pulse.

Shaking his head, he called Gates to tell her another body had turned up.

* * *

6.2

"...going to do?"

Beckett blinked and shook her head. She was still thinking about where Castle was and she had missed what Lainie had been asking her.

"Sorry Lainie, I didn't catch that"

"I said what are you going to do?"

Beckett took a deep breath

"Gates called me in and told me she was rejecting my resignation and she wanted me back on duty immeditately. I couldn't give her an answer...yet."

"Castle told me this morning that I was too good a cop to just walk away from the job and -"

"You are" Esposito interjected, while Lainie shushed him.

"...and I wanted to disagree with him. But Castle has that ability to get inside my head that no man hase been able to do. It's probably one of the reasons he irritates me so much and the reason I always wanted him around" she said the last with a wry smile.

Esposito couldn't help but develop a big goofy grin on his face.

"So what's the hold up? Grab the olive branch. I can see you've reclaimed your badge, now you just have to get your gun. What do you think Lainie?"

Lainie looked closely at Beckett and nodded.

"Yes, Kate, what IS the hold up?"

"I just want to talk to Castle about it."

Lainie gave her a quizzical look.

"What's to talk about? He's the one who told you not to walk away from the job and Gates has rejected your resignation. Get your butt back to the precinct and get your gun. Sounds pretty simple to me!"

Beckett closed her eyes for a few seconds, sighed and nodded her head. She checked her watch.

Lainie noticed

"You're still waiting for Castle?"

"He said he would be here"

"Girl, he'd better not be stupid enough to stand you up, unless he thought it was a one night stand?" Lainie said the last with a devilish glint in her eye.

"We ate breakfast together Lainie and he said he would meet me here. He said he would get here before I did. I'm going to call him"

Her call went to message bank.

"Hey Castle, where are you? I hope Lainie's not right and that you've already stood me up. Call me okay? I've got some news" Beckett ducked as Lainie threw a bread roll at her.

Laughing, Beckett hung up.

* * *

"Javier, why don't you wander on over to the bar and watch the rest of the game, it looks like it could go in to overtime"

Esposito looked like he was about to object but the usual non verbal communication that occurs between close friends and partners happened as Lainie gave Esposito a look.

"Yeah, no probs, I'll let you two catch up"

Beckett looked on with an amused expression.

"So the REAL interrogation begins"

"Not an interrogation Kate, just your best friend asking for a detailed overview of what happened last night."

Beckett knew the only way to get Lainie to stop pestering her was to tell her what happened and she knew Lainie would know if she was leaving something out. For someone who spends most of her time with dead people, Lainie had a knack of reading people. Beckett thought Lainie would be a great addition at Castle's next poker game, At the thought of Castle, Beckett's thoughts again turned dark. But right now, she needed to tell her best friend the truth of what happened last night.

So she began

"After I told Gates I quit, I cleaned out my desk and thought it would be a great idea to take a walk in the rain..."

* * *

6.3

Castle thought furiously.

The man would probably be tracking him some way. He would be some kind of ex special forces, well equipped in gathering information and tracking people.

He noticed cameras and other methods of surveillance.

His phone rang

_The Phone!_

It was Beckett. _  
_

Castle angrily shook his head, there was no way Beckett was going to be part of this. It was time to end this once and for all. But being tracked by a killer was also not part of the equation. There was only one solution and it would tip off the man he was meeting, but it was his only choice.

* * *

"What do you mean the signal's gone?"

Maddox listened with growing anger as he made his way to the meeting point.

"Where did you lose the signal? Okay, canvass the area for surviellance where we lost it, see if we can narrow down what he's up to"

Cole Maddox did not like surprises. When he hunted prey, he wanted to know everything and anything about it. Although his usual self confidence resurfaced. The guy wrote books for cryin' out loud, what harm could he be. From what he saw of Castle's latest photo, he looked very soft and he had a smirk on his face, it was a face that was begging to be hit.

With a shrug, Maddox continued on his way. Whatever happens, the end result would stay the same. He would gain the information his employer wanted and Beckett would be disposed of. Hopefully he would be ordered to get rid of Beckett's writer pal as well. Maddox's humourless grin appeared. An elderly gentleman walking past him, saw the smile and hurried on.

* * *

With one problem solved, Castle turned his attention to things he could control.

The meeting place he picked was a couple of blocks from the 12th precinct. Close enough that if anything went wrong, back up wouldn't be far away. Crowded enough with witnesses to deter any chance of violence. But first of all, Castle needed help and there was only one other person that was available that he would trust to have his back. Castle had told the caller to have a yellow umbrella, in order ID to him. Castle couldn't help but grin. He was sure Mr. Sniper would love carrying one of those around.

Mindful of any surveillance around, he quickly ducked into a seedy looking clothes shop and bought some random clothing to disguise himself. Being a conspiracy theorist was finally paying off, he made a mental note to remind Beckett. IF he ever saw Beckett again.

Changing the way he walked in the desperate and theoretical chance of eluding detection, Castle made his way to a pay phone.

* * *

6.4

The body was wheeled into the morgue.

Perlmutter ate a sandwhich while the body was placed on the slab.

"So Ryan, is someone out to get the clergy?"

"Well I was hoping you could tell me Perlmutter, I mean that's what you're supposed to do"

"Seems going solo hasn't helped your sense of humour Detective"

Perlmutter ate the last of his sandwich and started examining the body.

Ryan couldn't help but grimace.

"Well I'm going to have to give Gates as much information as I can. Because If this is ruled a homicide then we've got two people murdered who belong to the same church. The Papers are going to go wild with this, so we just need to get our ducks in a row to counter any panic"

"Ease up Ryan, as they say, the dead take their time, it's the living that's impatient. I'll give you a call as soon as I have something"

Without a word, Ryan exited the morgue, thinking morosely the day could not get any worse.

* * *

Perlmutter called just as Ryan was about to sit down.

He quickly made his way to the morgue and Perlmutter gave him the bad news.

"Nice to see you again Detective and unfortunately the victim was murdered".

"There's a puncture mark consistent with a needle being jabbed to the back of the neck. Tox report showed a fatal level of Ammonia. Most probably from some kind of cleaning fluid. He has a couple of broken ribs as well, probably from being kicked repeatedly. Happened after the victim died. Someone really didn't like this guy. Time of death around five to six last night"

Ryan raised an eyebrow

"He was killed before the first victim?"

"Gold star for you Detective. Also found this shoved down his throat" he handed over a ticket stub.

It was a movie theatre close to where the victim lived. The time stamped on the ticket was 3 days ago.

* * *

Ryan sat at his desk and he felt very much alone.

He looked at the empty desks and chairs that were around him, Beckett, Esposito and Castle. How the hell was he going to solve a double murder by himself. With a sigh, he made his way to Gates's office and gave her a full report.

Gates took the news in her usual way. Angry and wanting answers. He didn't think it would be a good idea to bring up the fact that he was investigating a double murder by himself.

Gates fumed for a few seconds and then looked up at Ryan.

"Well you've got one good lead, you've got the movie ticket stub time stamped, see what you can get out of it and check out the first victim's place too"

"On it Captain"

As Ryan turned to leave, Gates stopped him with a question.

"Just out of curiousity Detective, what movie was it?"

"John Carter"

"I heard that was terrible"

* * *

6.5

Esposito was ordering a drink when his phone started ringing.

"Esposito...Yo Castle! We're all here wai- what? l've got to tell Beck- why? Okay, corner of 7th & 8th Lexington, of course I'll always have her back..yeah I get it, I'll tell them I've got some place to be, so tell me what do you need?" Esposito nodded, listening, while looking over at Lainie and Beckett. They were both laughing. Hell he was already on desk duty, and if there was any way to he could help end this then he was in. Castle was right, he would always have Beckett's back.

While listening, he is eyes narrowed

"Are you sure Castle? Okay, just give me the signal and it's done. A yellow umbrella? That was your idea wasn't it!. Fine, fine, we'll talk some more later. I hope you know what you're doing".

He hung up, sighed and approached the table.

"Hey ladies, I've got to go, cousin's having car problems, needs a lift, I'll see you later okay?"

Lainie was looking at him with surprise and Beckett was smiling but as per usual her eyes felt like it was trying to read his mind. He looked away in a hurry.

"Anyway, say hi to Castle for me if he ever turns up and if he does, tell him I'm going to smack him for keeping you waiting. Also Beckett, we need you at the precinct. I'll see you two later"

With that, he left the table, trying not quicken his pace, he had things to do and in very little time. And the first stop was the 12th precinct.

"What was that about?"

"I don't know Lainie, but he's up to something. No wonder he's such as a bad poker player"

"Yeah, whatever, so what happened after breakfast? Details girl!"

Becket was still thinking about the look on Esposito's face but decided to let it go. She rolled her eyes at the prodding from Lainie

"You know already. I told him that I realized I became a cop for the wrong reason. It became an obsession that nearly cost me the man I...the man I wanted to be with and nearly killed me. So it looks like Castle was right, he said to hear out Gates and...I think I will get back to work, today"

"Great! Now you just have to get Ryan and Esposito back to talking. You're the big sister, get those two sorted out because Esposito still thinks Ryan let him down. Ryan's probably at the 12th right now moping. And seeing as it's my day off, I'm going to do some shopping, in fact I'll make dinner and you and Castle and the rest of the guys can come over".

"Oh Lainie, let's just take it easy okay. We haven't even been on a real date yet! Can we just get comfortable as a couple first before we have to interact socially with everyone"

"Well from where I'm standing, the whole getting used to each other skipped a step with what happened last night! But I'll wait until you tell me it's okay. Now go on back to the precinct, maybe you'll make Gates smile when you tell her you're back"

"I don't know if I've ever seen Gates smile. I'll talk to you later okay?"

Beckett exited the Old Haunt. It did feel like Castle HAD stood her up. She thought about calling him again but decided against it. This was NOT the way to start a new relationsip.

Beckett swore out loud and a passerby looked at her with surprise. She waved him off and decided the first thing to do was tell Gates she was back and to kick Castle's ass later.

She nodded to herself

"Yes, let's start from there"

* * *

**A/N Having gone through several drafts of this chapter, my great fear is the build up won't match the expectations. Sounds like some blockbuster Hollywood movies I've seen. I'm sure some readers are frustrated that the group is broken up and not interacting but patience, they'll be back together...soon. If Beckett finds out what's going on, I really am looking forward to her reaction that Castle is AGAIN keeping things secret from her. I hope this chapter is meeting the standard I have set out with previous chapters. I'm sure you'll let me know if there are plot holes and suggestions to the storyline. Till Chapter 7. I wish you well.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - **Reporting for Duty/Working the Case/Strategies**

7.1

Beckett strode into the 12th and entered the Captain's office without knocking.

Gates looked up, a querying expression on her face

"I want my gun Captain"

Without a word, Gates slid open a desk drawer and placed the holstered gun on her desk.

"Detective Ryan could use your help"

"Captain, if you're allowing me to come back, then so does Detective Esposito and Castle".

Gates raised an eyebrow

"You're making demands now Detective?"

"We're a team Captain, Esposito's only crime was following my lead. If you're going to put a hold on my suspension, then the same ruling should apply to Esposito".

"And Castle?"

Beckett hesitated.

"The clearance rate you so highly prize...it maybe my name on those records, but Castle has been integral to those arrests. Granted his theories often go off tangent. But amongst the hundreds, some of them are useful. I've always said, Castle thinks outside the box"

Gates, shook her head and looked hard at Beckett

"If you want your team back Detective, then you have can have them. But I warn you, if you or your team so much as misfile paperwork there will be repercussions. As for Castle, if he endangers any of my officers, he's gone. I don't care what the Mayor says. He's finished, do you understand?"

"Also, there's still the matter of trying to find the man who tried to kill you. I want all the information you have on him"

Beckett nodded and was about to exit when Gates called out.

"Don't make me regret this Detective Beckett"

Without looking back, Beckett returned to duty.

* * *

Beckett stood infront of an empty desk. Her desk belongings were still in her car. She shrugged and called Ryan.

Beckett smiled when Ryan almost shouted in relief at hearing she was back.

"Thanks Ryan, I'm going to talk to Espo about...your situation. I'll tell him to get his head out of his ass. Now, tell me everything you know about the- this case" She was horrified that she had nearly called it the Nun case. Her eyes narrowed as details were fed to her.

A double murder, both members of the same church.

One murder, violent and the body left in an alley, to be easily found.

The other body, found in the victim's residence, equal parts violent but also seemed to be well thought out, with a syringe of poison used for cause of death.

"Where are you now? At the first Vic's? What's the address? Okay, I'll meet you there".

* * *

Castle spotted the yellow umbrella right away.

He ducked back out of sight and wondered where the hell Esposito was.

"Yo Castle"

Castle whirled around, screeching in fright

"Esposito, what the hell! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry Bro, saw the yellow umbrella and then spotted you hiding, thought I'd circle around, so fill me in, what's going on?"

Esposito's reaction to the turn of events started with surprise, to anger and then to confusion.

"What are you doing Castle! You should have just contacted Beckett, after all that's happened, you're still hiding crap from her! You're on a fishing expedition that could very well get you and Beckett killed! That could be the guy that nearly killed Beckett!"

"I know Esposito! But she's put that all behind her...ALL OF IT. I'm not going to be responsible for dragging her back into this damn mess. You said you would always have her back, well the time has come. I need you to finish this! Can I count on you?"

After a long pause, Esposito nodded

"Sure Bro, let's get this done"

"Alright, did you bring what I asked you to?"

Without a word, Espostio brought out a listening device which also had GPS capablitlies he had "borrowed" from surveillance.

"Look man, if you want to hear anything, the range on this isn't that far..."

"It doesn't matter, you can walk past him and find away to attach it to him in some way, use your imagination. I just need to get him talking and then we need to know where he's going"

"Are you sure this guy's the one who tried to kill Beckett? Maybe your wild imagination is getting the best of you?"

"Dammit Esposito, he knows about me, knows what I look like, and from what Beckett told me, he wouldn't remember who you are and that's our only advantage, now you said you wanted to end this. The only way we can do that, is to find out who's trying to kill Beckett and this guy knows who. Now is the range going to be good enough from here or do we need to get closer?"

Esposito glared at Castle for a moment and nodded.

"Alright, when you get the bug on him, get back here and we'll switch"

"Castle, if anything goes wrong, I'm coming in blazing, you got me?" showing an automatic in his waistband.

"Nothing will go wrong, now you're up"

With one final distrusting look at Castle, Esposito headed in the direction of the man holding the yellow umbrella.

* * *

Maddox nearly fell to the ground as someone ran into him

He quickly turned around, due to the mass of bodies around him, he only caught a fleeting look of the man who nearly knocked him over and a voice saying "Sorry dude, in a rush"

Maddox shook his head and turned around, looking for this damn writer boy. He thought maybe he had underestimated this guy, Castle had picked up a public place, plenty of witnesses, his surveillance team would be useless but sooner or later, he would get what he wanted and the publishing world would lose one more crappy writer. No great loss.

He felt a tap on the shoulder

Maddox smiled his humourles smile and turned to say hello to the soon to be dead Richard Castle.

"Mr. Castle, so very nice to meet you"

"And nice to meet you too, you know my name, and yours would be?"

"Just call me Cole"

"So, we're no longer strangers. Care to tell me what happened to my contact? Is he alive? I mean I don't even know his name"

"Yes he is very much alive, Mr Castle, he just couldn't get to his phone, suffered a fall, bed rest, no stress, doctor's orders. As for his name, well I'm sure you won't believe me, but his name is Mr. Smith"

"Okay, we've got each other's numbers, I'm glad I met you. Don't worry about the paperwork, I'll keep it safe"

Castle started to turn away.

"Mr Castle, I need that paperwork. There's no need for you to have it, Mr. Smith is safe, your Detective Beckett is alive and well. So let's pretend the events that led to you gaining that paperwork was just a communication problem."

Castle's blue eyes narrowed in anger

"Listen Cole, it's over. I now have information that will help me nail whoever's been trying to kill Beckett. I don't need you or Mr. Smith anymore, I'm going to finish this once and for all"

And with that, Castle disappeared into the crowd. Maddox excercised all of his control, not to run after him and put a bullet through his skull.

Shaking his head in disgust, Maddox called his contact

"It's Maddox, tell the Congressman we have a problem"

* * *

7.2

As Beckett pulled up at the address, Ryan was outside waiting.

"Hey Ryan, did you miss me?" Beckett said with a mischievous smile

"Oh that's funny Beckett, everyone disappeared, I get saddled with a double homicide and Gates is all over me to have something. Did you get a hold of Esposito yet? And where's Castle?"

Beckett couldn't help but laugh at Ryan's rush of words and questions.

"I'm sorry Ryan for just dumping everything on you, no I haven't had chance to talk to Espo and as for Castle...I don't know where he is, we were supposed to meet with Lainie at the Old Haunt, but he never showed. Now let's find out who killed these people"

Without another word, Beckett walked into Sister Thompson's home.

* * *

Ryan noticed, that while Father McKenzie's residence was sparse, Sister Thompson's walls were covered with tapestries, paintings and pictures. It was as if, she was trying to make the walls come alive with colour and stories.

Beckett spied a large table, with many framed photos of Thompson with children.

Out of no where, her mind whispered "Castle babies".

Where the hell did that come from? Beckett shook her head and continued building a mini profile of the Vic.

From the kitchen, Ryan called out

"Hey Beckett, check this out, photos here of Thompson and McKenzie.

Beckett gave one final cursory look at the framed photos and joined Ryan.

There were photos on the fridge of Thompson and McKenzie with what looked lika a family. A husband and wife and 2 children.

"Better take one of these to show at the Church to see if anyone knows them, for now they're the only link we have to both the victims. I'll check out the bedrooms"

Beckett found an address book and a diary and after making one final sweep, joined Ryan at the door.

"Find anything useful?"

"A diary and address book, you?"

"She's got a cam corder with dvds made from the vision it took, I"ll have uniforms and tech take them and her computer"

Without a word, they both exited.

Ryan feeling a little relieved that Beckett was back and he now had a bit of help.

Beckett, felt the familiar cloak of a hunter, finding information to catch her prey as well as irritation that Castle wasn't here with them.

* * *

7.3

Castle joined Esposito, he had tried to walk with groups of people, to hide where he was going as much as possible.

"Tell me you're hearing something"

"Of course bro, I told you we'd able to hear from this distance and now we know who we're dealing with and why Montgomery tried to keep Beckett away as much as possible.

"And?"

"And you were right, he's the guy that shot Beckett and tried to throw her off the rooftop and he's working for a Congressman who's cleaning up his back trail and Beckett is the only one still standing"

Castle was thunderstruck. They now had something, they didn't know who it actually was, but being a Congressman would mean the guy had alot to lose and killing people to keep his clean image would be plausible.

"Montgomery said the guy took all the ransom money he and his partners had accumulated and set himself up. Let's keep on it, we need more information to nail the bastard. Esposito you follow him, I'll catch up with Beckett, It's better if I keep her as far away from him as possible"

"And my contact really is dead and I have the only thing that's keeping Beckett alive"

He handed Esposito the piece of paper.

"That Congressman isn't going to like this at all"

With a grim look on his face, he checked Maddox's location and headed off.

* * *

Ryan waited for Beckett, as she crossed the street

"I forgot to tell you. When I was questioning a Sister Heath, she mentioned Thompson and McKenzie had bit of trouble a while back, said she couldn't talk about it"

"Thanks for the heads up, maybe they are under a gag order or - "

Her phone cut off her theorizing

"Beckett. Castle! Where the hell have you been!"

She remembered Ryan was with her and moved away.

"You left me stranded at the Old Haunt and Lainie and Esposito were all over me and I really needed to talk to y- Martha? Is she okay? Yes, I'm a cop again, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. We've got a double homicide on our hands, so can you meet us at the corner of 7 and 12th Madison? It's the Our Lady of Victorian Church, I'll see you soon okay?"

Beckett hung up, fuming, she dismissed her irritation and headed back to Ryan.

"That was Castle, he won't be long, now let's get the family in the pic identified and find out what's up with all the secrecy"

The were met by a Father Habul, who ushered Beckett and Ryan in to his office.

He was an elderly man, wizened face, with bushy eyebrows and penetrating blue eyes. Right now they were red rimmed as he mourned the deaths of two of his companions

"Father Habul, thank you for your time, I know this is a trying time"

"No problems at all, anything I can do to allow two of my favourite people in the world to rest in peace"

"Detective Ryan, questioned Sister Heath earlier and she said something happened and that Sister Thompson and Father McKenzie were involved in some way, but she wouldn't elaborate, can you?"

Habul's face tightened

"I'm sorry Detective, but Sister Heath was right in not discussing anything with you, we're prevented by law"

"By law? Well seeing as I'm a detective you can tell me"

"I'm sorry Detective Beckett, I can't"

Beckett shared a look with Ryan, who nodded.

Looks like they'd have get Gates to talk to the higher ups

"Well, then can you help us identify the family in this photo?"

Habul glanced at the photo.

"It's the Domingo family and they are the source of the gag order, I'm sorry that's all I can tell you"

"For someone who wants to help you're not helping us much"

"I'm sorry Detective Ryan, all I can say is that Father McKenzie and Sister Thompson were integral to our church and the homeless shelter that was run, without them our lives are poorer. Now i'm sorry but I need to prepare funeral services.

Both detectives knew better than to push for any further information about the family and their involvement with the church.

Outside, Ryan mused

"So, we've got a family and church members involved somehow, there's been a gag order so no one involved can talk about it. At least we've got a name"

"Yeah, Gates can follow it up with the DA..."

She trailed off as she saw Castle approaching. He was smiling, and Beckett resisted the urge to smile back. She was still mad at him

"Detective Beckett, Ryan, looks like someone has a problem with those doing God's work"

Beckett gave him one of her patented glares, Ryan started to say something, noticed Beckett's look and decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Castle, nice of you to join us, we're going back to the precinct, Ryan, we'll see there"

"Sure Beckett, nice to you see Castle" Ryan said as he nearly ran to his car. Something was about to go down between the two and he wanted no part of it.

"So where did you park?" Castle said as he looked around.

All of a sudden he felt his nose being encased in a vice like grip

"Ow Ow...APPLES APPLES!"

"Where the hell were you Castle, tell me or your nose will be so bandaged up, you'll have to scrap your next photo shoot, now...where...were...you" Beckett wiggled her grip as she bit off each word.

Through the haze of pain throbbing from his trapped nose, Castle wobbled in his resolve to keep his newly acquired knowledge about Beckett's assassin and the mystery Congressman that wanted her dead. But he still thought he would be able to bluff her. After all, he had done it before.

Castle felt one more twist and suddenly the grip was gone

"Sorry Castle, just letting you know what happens when you stand me up, now you said something happened with Martha?" Beckett said as she gave his nose a loving tap.

Gently, Castle touched his wounded nose, making sure it was still in working condition. He felt Beckett's eyes measuring him, all the while thinking what the hell had he gotten himself into! Satisfield that everything was in working order, he returned Beckett's gaze.

Maybe he should just tell her the truth.

Castle closed his eyes deciding what to say.

"I'm waiting Castle"

Castle opened his eyes and looked at Beckett and began

"Something happened after you left"

* * *

**A/N Apologies for those who were waiting for this chapter. Very difficult chapter to write (us amateurs don't have the luxury to write full time!). I wanted to get details right with Cole Maddox and the murder. Was very close to making the story into a crossover but decided to maintain it as an authentic Castle Season 5, episode 1. Getting Beckett and Castle together and whether Castle would finally tell Beckett everything was the most difficult, maybe in the next chapter he will. I hope this chapter meets the standard of the previous ones. Long Days and Pleasant Nights.**


End file.
